The Miraculous (Based on The Selection Series)
by PearlGirl03
Summary: Marinette is living a normal life in the kingdom of Paris, until one day, two guards show up at her door. They tell her that she is one of twenty girls that have been selected to go through the process of Miraculous. Each girl will be given a name, and they will meet with the Prince, in hopes that they will be the one he chooses to marry. Based off of The Selection, by Kiera Cass.
1. Good or Bad News?

"Morning, Marinette." Luka said, climbing through my trap door.

"Luka, what a surprise!" I said sarcastically.

"I know," He said, planting a kiss on my cheek, "I'm wonderful at surprising people."

"You're also wonderful at not giving them what they want." I said, pecking his lips, and smiling.

"Well, maybe if they'd ask, I'd give them what they wanted." He replied, placing a kiss on the very edge of my mouth. I began to pout when my mother called me downstairs. I quickly descended, Luka following closely behind.

"Marinette, these men are part of the royal guard. You have been chosen as one of the twenty girls that have the honor of getting to know the prince, and maybe even become queen." my mother explained.

"Do I have to go?" I asked.

"We have orders from the king to bring you, whether you want to go or not." One of the guards replied. As I got a closer look at him, I saw that he looked familiar.

"Ivan?" I asked.

"Great, thanks Marinette, now I owe him five euros." The other guard said.

"Kim!" I exclaimed. He nodded.

"Marinette, we have to go." Ivan said. I nodded, turning back and giving Luka a kiss. What I didn't know then, was that it would be our last.


	2. A New Friend

**A/N:** Oh my gosh, this story is just bouncing around in my head. I have so many ideas for what to do with it. I would love it if you would leave suggestions in the comments, especially if you've read the series. I am kinda sorta not sorry for posting two chapters in the same day, but I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't get this down before I forgot it. I really hope you enjoy this story, and that you continue to read it. I will try to post regularly, but it gets hard with school, and extracurricular activities that seem to pile up so quickly. I had to get these both down because studying gets progressively harder when you have a story bouncing in your head, if you know what I mean. I really, really hope you all enjoy my story, seeing how I'm just getting back into the flow of things, and I'm trying to do multiple stories at once, so if I make any mistakes, please let me know in the comments. I check my notifications often, so that I can make sure that I'm doing everything right. I hope I don't disappoint! :)

* * *

"Hello Ladies. I know that you want to mingle and get to know each other, however, before you can return to your activities, there are some rules." Nathalie began, "First of all, you must do everything the Prince asks you, even if you don't want to. No relationships with any men besides the Prince himself, no going into any of the restricted areas. While you are here, those of you from lower families will receive a small sum of money to amount to what they don't have due to you being gone. There are some dining rules, and curfews, but we will go over those later."

As soon as Nathalie left, the feel of the room changed dramatically. Everyone was much more relaxed, and we all began chatting, and getting to know one another.

"Hi, I'm Rena Rouge!" A brunette said, introducing herself to me.

"Ladybug." I said.

"I take it you're not from one of the higher classes?" Rena asked.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Well, Marinette, you are still wearing your flight badge." Rena said. I gasped and quickly pulled it off, only to shove it into my purse.

"Now you know my real name, but I don't know yours." I said.

"I'm Alya. We're from the same class. I kind of hope that I don't get chosen because I like a boy back home." Alya explained.

"Same, my boyfriend, Luka, wasn't too happy to discover that I'd been chosen." I related.

"I don't know how Nino reacted." Alya said, off-handedly. Sadly, I'd been taking a sip of water because all the water that had been in my mouth was now all over her face.

"Sorry, but did you say Nino, as in Nino Lahiffe?" I clarified.

"Yeah, do you know him?" she asked.

"Know him! We've been best friends since, ever! I can't believe that you're the Alya he kept talking about. Truth be told, it was getting kind of annoying. Marinette, you'll never believe what Alya said, she's so clever, did you know that her favorite animal is a fox? He is head-over-heals in love with you!" I exclaimed.

"Really!" She said. Of course we then had to do the jumping up and down squealing move.

"Ladybug, Rena Rouge, it is your turn to meet with the Prince." Nathalie said, entering the room, and then exiting, after making sure that we were following. I looked at Alya, and we shared a nervous look.


	3. Chat Noir, the Squire

"Hello Ladies." A boy in a black leather suit said. He had on cat ears, a belt fashioned into a tail, and a black mask. He also had bright green eyes.

"Where's the prince?" Alya asked.

"He's not here, sort of." the boy responded.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I'm Chat Noir. I'm one of Prince Adrien's squires. His father doesn't want him to meet you all in person until tomorrow, so I'm here to ask you questions, and Prince Adrien is watching through a video feed that is connected to my mask." Chat Noir explained.

"That makes sense, it can be dangerous for the Prince to be out and about with a bunch of strangers." Alya commented.

"Yes, that's very perceptive. So, what are you aliases?" Chat asked.

"I'm Ladybug, and this is Rena Rouge." I said.

"Friends already, I see. This means that you're probably both easy to talk to, and that you are trusting." Chat observed.

"We're also both taken." Alya said.

"Alya!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, so you shared your names." Chat said.

"No," I said, "We're from the same class. We knew each other before this, sort of."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"We have mutual friends, so we'd heard of each other before. It didn't take too long to figure out who the other was. I also forgot to take off my flight badge." I admitted.

"Honesty, that's a great quality to have. Especially since the Prince hates liars." Chat said.

"Oh, yeah. That's what Nino said." Alya remarked.

"Wait, you're Alya Cesaire. Aren't you." Chat said.

"Yeah, how'd you know." she asked.

"Nino is a fellow squire. He's been bragging for days about the wonderful girl he left back home. We loved teasing him about how he was too chicken to tell her, you, how he feels." Chat explained. Alya blushed a deep red.

"She already knew that Nino likes her. I told her." I said.

"How would you know. He said that the only other person that knew was his best friend, Marinette." Chat confronted, "Unless you are Marinette."

"It's pretty obvious that he likes her. A blind person could tell." I said, neither confirming nor denying if I was Marinette.

"I see, avoiding the question altogether. Smart. The Prince isn't supposed to know your real names. The King doesn't want him to look up things from their past." Chat said.

"But why not, they could act like complete fakes in front of him, pretending to be something they're not. He could get roped into marrying a person that was only after his name." I exclaimed.

"Yes, Ladybug, we know. That's why he has us squires looking out for him. We are constantly monitoring you girls to see how you act. We will warn the Prince if he plans on choosing someone he wouldn't like, in the end." Chat said.

"That's good. You must be a true friend to the Prince." I commented.

"Well I hope he feels that I am." Chat replied, smiling warmly. For some reason, I got butterflies in my stomach. That surprised me, I love Luka. I was only doing this because my family needed the extra income, right?


	4. A Deal

"Ladies, these are your handmaidens that have been assigned to you. They will be taking you to your rooms, where you will stay until breakfast tomorrow morning." Nathalie said.

"Hi, I'm Tikki, and I'll be your handmaiden." Tikki said.

"I'm Marinette." I said. She led me to my room, and showed me where my things were, and told me that if I needed anything to ring the bell. Then she left, and I was all alone. I went over to my closet, and grabbed out a nightgown, and a robe. I stepped behind a screen before changing, and then snickered at the idea of always changing behind a screen, even when the room was void. Once changed, I sat down at the desk. I began to feel overwhelmed, and decided to step onto the balcony for some fresh air. When I went to open the doors, I found that they were locked. I started to freak out. I had to get outside. I slipped on a pair of slippers, and ran out of my room. I rounded the corner, and discovered a pair of french doors that led to the garden. The only problem was that there were guards stationed outside of them. Without thinking I ran over to the doors, in an attempt to get outside. They blocked me, and I fell to my knees.

"Miss, you aren't allowed outside." one said.

"Please." I begged. I began to breath heavily.

"Let her out." A boy said behind me. For some reason the guards obeyed him. I jumped up and ran out the doors. The boy followed.

"Thank you." I said, feeling much more relieved.

"Of course. What's your name?" He asked.

"I'm Marinette." I said, smiling.

"I'm Adrien." He replied.

"Wait, you're the Prince!" I exclaimed.

"I am." He responded.

"I don't want to marry you." I blurted out.

"Then why are you here?" He asked.

"For my family. They need the money." I explained.

"Ah, I see." He said.

"Oh, I know. Maybe we could strike a deal." I said.

"What kind of deal." He asked, warily.

"Well, Chat Noir said that they watch out for unpleasant girls, but they can't see them when they are mingling in the girls rooms. If you promise to keep me here as long as you can, then I could steer you away from unpleasant girls only after your title." I explained.

"That is an ingenious plan, but how do I know that I can trust you?" The Prince asked.

"Um, I don't know. All I can say is that I hate liars, so I obviously wouldn't be one, right?" I asked, uncertainty showing in my voice.

"Well, I could use a friend on the inside." He said, "Well, Marinette, it looks like you have yourself a deal."


	5. He's Where?

"Good Morning, Marinette." Tikki said pulling open the curtains.

"Five more minutes." I groaned, rolling over to block out the light.

"Marinette." Tikki said, strongly, "You are a guest in the Palace, and I'm sure the King would not be pleased if you were absent at Breakfast."

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" I exclaimed, jumping out of bed. Tikki helped me get ready, and I ran all the way to the dining room. I burst into the room, drawing everyone's attention. I had just gathered my bearings when someone ran into me from behind. We both toppled to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." A boy said. He stood up to help me to my feet, and I saw that it was Nino.

"Nino?" I asked.

"Marinette!" He said, "What are you doing here? How is Luka? How are your parents? How are you?"

"Luka, my parents, and myself are all fine. I'm here because I'm Ladybug, one of the selected girls." I explained.

"Wow, I bet Luka _loved_ hearing that you could be the next queen." Nino said, sarcastically. I chuckled.

"Mademoiselle, Ladybug. I understand that this is an old friend of yours, but I suggest taking a seat before the King and Queen arrive." Nathalie said. I nodded, and waved goodbye to Nino as I took my place next to Alya. I was still disappointed that I wasn't back home with my family, but now I had a best friend, a deal with the Prince to make sure that the kingdom wouldn't be run by a snob, and my childhood friend was a squire of the Prince's. Not to mention the Palace was magnificent. Marble floors, flowers lining the halls. Tapestries and drapes. _Fountains_ they had fountains inside! I wanted to be back home with Luka, but the experiences I was having here were great. Then, they brought out the food. Being a daughter of a baker, I'd always been well fed, and the food was always delicious. The only thing is, we mostly had bread. We didn't have access to the more sophisticated meals that the higher classes had. I couldn't believe my eyes. Apple tarts, salads made from only fruit, I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked over at Alya, and we were both practically drooling.

"Ladies, King Gabriel, Queen Emilie, and Prince Adrien, accompanied by his squires, Plagg and Nino." Monsieur Bourgeois, the royal adviser, announced. We all rose as they entered the room. Alya looked at me.

'Where's Chat?' she mouthed. I shrugged, and looked back at the royals. Prince Adrien caught my eye and winked. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, I'd agreed to help him, but I didn't want him flirting with me.

"Hello Ladies." Gabriel began, "Welcome to the Palace. You are free to do as you please, so long as you keep to the schedule. You will be learning many skills that you may need, if you become the queen. I wish you all the best of luck."

Alya and I shared a look of confusion. We had to take classes? What fun would that be?

"You may eat." Monsieur Bourgeois said. Alya and I dug in. Most of the girls were trying to act sophisticated, but I was eager to try everything. Besides, it didn't matter what the Prince thought of me. He'd agreed to keep me on even though I didn't want to marry him. He also knew that I had someone back home waiting for me, assuming he'd watched Chat's interactions with us. That also meant he knew Alya's name, and he knew of Nino's fancy for her. The thing that confused me most was Chat's whereabouts. According to Tikki, the royal family, and all of the squires of the Prince would be eating breakfast with them. If that was so, where was he? As soon as he was done eating, Adrien went around chatting with the girls that had also finished. From what I could hear, he must have studied those videos because he knew a lot about them.

"Mademoiselle Ladybug. A pleasure to meet you." Adrien said, placing a kiss on the back of my hand.

"Prince Adrien." I replied dryly, taking my hand away.

"Oh, you must be Marinette. I see. Well, I won't bother trying to woo you, seeing as how I won't get anywhere." He said teasingly. He smiled, then began to walk over to Alya.

"Wait, your highness, where is Chat Noir?" I asked. He turned back to face me.

"His family lives nearby, so he eats at home every morning." He explained, he seemed to be nervous, but I brushed it off. "And, please, call me Adrien."


	6. Revelations

_I went to go post this chapter, and I realized that even though I wrote chapter 5 last week, I forgot to post it. So, I guess I'll just post two chapters in the same day because I know if I don't post this one I'll forget until I post chapter 7._ _Oh well, I guess I'm just as forgetful as Marinette. :)_

* * *

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called, as I was exiting the dining room.

"Chat Noir." I said, acknowledging his presence.

"I heard you asked about me during breakfast." Chat said, a smug look on his face.

"Of course he told you. Well, I'll have you know that I was just wondering where you were. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I said.

"Ah, so you were worried about me. Nice to see that someone cares besides the other squires." Chat said.

"I'm sure some of the others care too." I said, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"Not really, in fact, Queen Bee seems to think that I'm one of her servants. Real subtle name there." He said.

"Ugh, I know who she is. Her name's Chloe. She's the daughter of Monsieur Bourgeois." I explained.

"I figured, she went on some rant about knowing who her father was, and all the trouble I'd be in when I refused her." He said, chuckling, "Would you like to accompany me on a walk in the gardens?"

"Is that allowed?" I asked.

"Of course! How am I supposed to help Adrien pick the right girl if I am not acquainted with them." Chat said. He held out his hand and winked.

"I'll have you know that I'm not interested in the Prince." I said walking past him and into the gardens.

"Oh, really." Chat commented, rushing past, and leading me to a bench. "Care to share why?"

"Well, I left a boy back home. He kind of forced me to come by breaking up with me. No one really knew that we were dating, he was my best friend, you see. When I got picked, he wanted me to go, but I didn't want to leave him or my family, so he broke up with me. And, to make things worse, when I was leaving I saw him with some other girl. They were laughing, and he had his arms wrapped around her. Then he had the audacity to make his way through the crowd to try and get to me. I just left, I thought that we were so close, but I guess I know the truth now." I explained. Tears threatened to escape my eyes, but I wiped them away.

"That, that is some story. I guess that's why you don't want to go back home, even though you don't want to marry the prince." Chat said. I couldn't hold the tears in any more.

"I just can't face him, Chat. He was the first person I ever loved, and I can't face him anymore. I get mad just thinking about him. I-I don't know what I would do if I had to go back. He'd try to fix everything, and I don't know if I want him to. I just need some time away, to clear my head, see where I stand, and figure out what I'm going to do." I said. The tears were flowing freely now.

"My Lady, I _purr_ omise that no matter what happens, I will not let the prince send you away. I'll explain everything. You won't have to go back until you're ready. I'll make sure that you stay." He said, I looked at him, disbelief in my eyes. He then raised his right hand- _paw?-_ and placed his left over his heart and said, "Cat's honor."

"Thank you Chat." I said, pulling him into a hug.

"You're welcome, My Lady." He replied softly, using his thumb to brush the tears off my cheeks.


	7. An Unexpected Surprise

"Marinette, wait up!" Nino shouted, racing down the hall.

"Nino, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"We didn't get to talk this morning, and the squires are supposed to be getting acquainted with the girls right now. I thought I could hang out with you and Rena Rouge. She's your friend, right?" Nino said. I chuckled.

"Yes, she's my friend. I think you'd really like her. She's very sweet, but pushy at the same time, just how you described Alya." I teased.

"Imagine if Alya was chosen. That would be terrible. Adrien is one of my best friends, and I know he's the prince and all, but the bro code still stands no matter the status." Nino said seriously. I burst out laughing. Chat Noir then walked around the corner.

"Well, My Lady, you seem to be feeling better." He commented.

"I am feeling much better, thanks to you." I said.

"Glad to be of service, My Lady." He said, then disappeared around the corner.

"You and Chat seem to be close." Nino commented.

"Well, he did the interviews at the beginning, and we talked in the gardens this morning." I said. Alya rounded the corner, and spotted me, quickly rushing over.

"Mari, the squires are spending time with the girls! Do you think Nino will choose me? I haven't seen him since he came to the palace, and writing letters isn't the same as speaking in person." Alya said, not even noticing the boy next to me.

"Alya." I said, nodding my head towards him.

"Nino! H-hi, how are you. Long time no see, huh." she said, attempting to be casual, and failing.

"Al, is it really you?" He asked.

"You got me." She said, holding out her wrists. He grabbed them and pulled her into a tender embrace.

"Don't worry. The prince knows who she is, and won't make a move on her. I'm sure he respects the bro code." I said.

"How does the prince know who she is?" Nino asked, releasing Alya from his grasp.

"Well, I may have accidentally blurted out her name in surprise after she told Chat Noir that we were both taken." I said guiltily.  
"No need to apologize. If you hadn't let the prince know who she was, I definitely would have." Nino said.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone, I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on." I said. They both gave me grateful looks, and I walked down the hall. When I turned the corner I stumbled on a surprising encounter.

"Adrien, I refuse to have you pretending to be a squire. If the public ever found out that the prince ran around the castle in a black cat suit trying to woo his potential brides, our family would be humiliated." The king said, to Chat Noir.

"Father, they won't reveal their true selves to Adrien, but when I'm Chat Noir, I can see how they truly react to my own personality. Besides, I know you did the same thing with mother, Papillon." Chat said.

"Who told you that!" Gabriel exclaimed.

"Who do you think." Chat mused.

"Excuse me one moment, son. I must speak to your mother this instant." Gabriel said, walking down the hall. Thankfully, he walked away from me. Chat wiped his brow, looking much more relaxed.

"You've got some nerve, Agreste." I said. He froze, and slowly turned to look at me.

"Marinette, what are you doing here?" He asked innocently.

"Don't change the subject. You lied to me." I accused.

"No, I said that Chat's family lives nearby, that's a truth, and that he ate breakfast with his family at home, also a truth." He defended.

"You said that with the intent to deceive me, therefore it can be taken as lying." I said. Chat began to laugh.

"You are good." He said, "There's something about you that makes you different from everyone else. You have a fire, passion. You aren't afraid to scold the prince. I like that about you. You, My Lady, are a mystery. I understand that you aren't interested in marrying me, but I would love to spend more time with you. At least one person in this lonely castle should know the real me, besides my squires."

"Well, I guess I could indulge you, seeing as you asked so nicely. However, you must promise that there will be no more lies. Friendships are based on trust, so I have to know that I can trust you with my secrets." I said.

"And I must know that I can trust you with mine." He said, taking his mask off.

"I'm Nino's best friend. He'll vouch for me. I've never told any of his secrets." I said.  
"You told Alya he liked her!" Adrien exclaimed.

"You clearly don't listen to him go on and on about her. If you did, you would know that they have been dating for almost six months." I stated. Putting his mask in place, he walked towards me.

"I guess I have no choice but to trust you then, _Purr_ incess." He purred. He bowed, placing a kiss on my hand, and then walked down the hall towards Alya and Nino. He turned the corner, and immediately walked back toward me, his face paper white. I laughed as he passed, and he shot me a glare, which only made me laugh even more.


	8. Friends Again

The next morning, Chat was absent at breakfast again, but this time I knew that he was still there. The strawberry tarts, that were conveniently placed right in front of me, were amazing. They tasted so good that I leaned forward slightly, loving how the tart melted in my mouth. I could tell that Adrien was trying not to laugh while watching me eat. I guessed that I was showing a bit too much pleasure in the taste of the food. I heard an audible chuckle from where he was sitting. I looked up at him, and saw that he was trying not to laugh. I glared, and stuck my tongue out at him. He was now trying even harder not to laugh. I turned my attention to Nino who seemed confused by the interactions that Adrien and I were having. As soon as breakfast was announced as over, Adrien bolted out of the room. I chuckled and shook my head, knowing that he was going to be back soon as Chat Noir. I walked through the halls, admiring the tapestries. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned. Chat Noir was now next to me.

"Well, you changed quickly." I commented. He smiled at me and held out his hand.

"I have something I want to show you." He said.

"What is it?" I asked, taking his hand.

"That is for me to know, and you to find out." He said, leading me through the endless halls of the palace. I scoffed when he picked up his pace to a jog. I lifted my skirts and tried to jog with him, effectively causing me to fall on my face. Hearing the clamor, he turned back to me.

"My Lady!" He exclaimed. He rushed back to me, sitting on the ground.

"I can't run in these shoes, Chaton." I said.

"Well, that can be easily remedied." He commented. I assumed he was going to carry my shoes for me, but I was mistaken. Standing, he helped me to my feet. In one smooth motion, I was off the ground, and nestled in his arms.

"Chaton, it is not proper for the Prince to handle the contestants like this." I said, holding onto him for support.

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm just a squire." He said. I laughed, and he began to run down the halls once more. When he finally stopped running and set me down, I found that we were outside my room.

"Chat, what are we doing here?" I asked, removing my mask, and hanging it on the hook by the door. This was to let people know that the room was occupied.

"Just, trust me, Princess." He said. He slowly opened my bedroom door, and led me inside.


End file.
